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The latest Gonzales Research poll released Wednesday indicates 45 percent of registered voters surveyed favor referendum Question 7, which allows for a sixth gambling site and table games in Maryland. The poll cites 46 percent opposing it, and 9 percent undecided. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percent.

According to the poll, the fate of Question 7 is likely in the hands of undecided voters. The even poll numbers came as a surprise to those following the issue, but many told WBAL-TV 11 News they find all the TV ads confusing.

"It is certainly very confusing because they both have things to say that can be very convincing," said Jerry Shargel, a writer.

When asked whether he finds the ads annoying and confusing, retiree Charles Fairley said, "Yes I do, because you are getting it from one side, then, you turn the channel and you are getting from the other side, right? So, a lot of people are confused about it."

"(The ads say) something about bringing opportunities from West Virginia to Maryland and improving schools. The message is muddled, I guess," said Skyler Stern, a student.

"I think they've succeeded in making people angry on both sides," said Johns Hopkins University political science Professor Emeritus Matthew Crenson, who specializes in urban government and American political development.

Crenson said the Gonzales poll revealed unlikely allies united in opposition and for different reasons.

"For Republicans, gambling represents a way to resources for the expansion of government without the inconvenience of imposing taxes, which, in a way, short circuits the political system. That's probably why they are opposed to that," Crenson said.

"For African-Americans, the reasons may be a little more complex. First, many belong to religious denominations that take a dim view of gambling. Second, the largest concentration of African-Americans is in Prince George's County, where the new casino would go, and they are figuring, 'There goes the neighborhood,'" Crenson said.

Pollsters also probed which voters feel more intense about the issue: 54 percent claimed expanded gaming is most likely to get them out to the polls to vote against it.

Meanwhile, according to The Washington Post, Penn National -- which has spent $13 million to defeat expanded gaming -- is seeking a 49 percent stake in Maryland Live! casino, operated in Hanover, Anne Arundel County, by the Cordish Co.

"If a partnership like this were to go through, how would this benefit Cordish?" WBAL-TV 11 News reporter David Collins asked Crenson.

"Probably a couple different ways: First if Question 7 succeeds, then he cuts his loses in half because Penn National is going to take half the loss. Cordish isn't in the business of running casinos. He's a developer, and if he's going to continue to develop, he's going to need operating capital. And, if he sells half of Maryland Live! to Penn National, he's got capital," Crenson said.

The deal would have to be approved by the Maryland State Lottery Agency, and Penn National would have to sell its casino, Hollywood Casino in Perryville, Cecil County. Maryland law restricts companies from owning a stake of more than 5 percent in more than one casino.

Gonzales Poll on same-sex marriage debate:

The Gonzales poll also showed that if the November election took place now, Marylanders would approve same-sex marriage.

The poll gives the new law an eight-point lead with 51 percent of likely voters in Maryland claiming they would vote for the same-sex marriage law while 43 percent would vote against it. The poll found 6 percent have yet to make up their minds.

The long-debated issue will appear as Question 6 on the November ballot.

In photos: Same-sex marriage debate in Maryland

In photos: Maryland's same-sex marriage debate

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Flanked by the Senate president and the House speaker, Gov. Martin O'Malley signs the Civil Marriage Protection Act into law.

A Justice Department civil rights investigation has concluded that the Ferguson Police Department and the city's municipal court engaged in a "pattern and practice" of discrimination against African-Americans, according to a U.S. law enforcement official.